by T. Y. Carew
“Colonel Finlay, Captain Adair, good of you to join us.”
Doctor Cardew stood with the other military officials on the far side of the auditorium. This group also had taken to wearing protective masks, and Matt scowled to see the doctor doing so.
“Unwilling to sample your own medicine?”
“I have complete faith in the altered Anathema formula dispersing into the atmosphere,” the doctor assured them. “I would be quite happy to expose myself to its effects, but I am afraid the general has rejected my offer.”
“Perhaps I could do more to convince him.” Matt’s eyes narrowed, looking for some hint of a tell on Doctor Cardew’s face. The woman was unreadable. She continued to hold herself with the same elegant and haughty repose she always wore. As near as Matt could tell, the doctor was sincere in her offer to breathe in the poison she had now infected the planet with.
“Preliminary reports are encouraging,” General Tallow offered. The man moved forward in haste, and Matt guessed he wanted to prove to himself and the rest of them that he had made the right devil’s bargain. “We have footage from several security monitors across the planet. Just as Doctor Cardew predicted, the Beltine are slowing. Since the missiles were launched their attack has stalled, and they seem to have entered into a state of confusion followed by torpor.”
“Their connection to the hive mind is being overridden, and the chemicals from Anathema’s atmosphere are taking over their higher functions to leave them in a fugue state,” Doctor Cardew explained. “I must admit, I feel my team have outdone themselves. I expected it would take at least an hour for our altered formula to have the desired effect on the Beltine.”
“I will order my men to begin systematically killing the Beltine as they find them. If they are offering no resistance, this will be little more than pest control.”
“I still want to send my team out to the communications array to try and establish long-range communications with the military. It’ll be useful if we can establish what happened to the five cruisers orbiting Icarus as well.” Xander wasted no time on the general’s attempt to crow over the success of Doctor Cardew’s missiles.
“Very well. This facility has a hangar and a few shuttles for short-range transportation across the planet.”
“I want a team of soldiers with me,” Xander said. “I want ten of your men accompanying my team in case anything goes wrong, and I want you to look to the evacuation of Icarus as we agreed, General.”
Xander squared up to the general, who raised a brow from under his mask. “I am not sure retreat is necessary given the present situation. The doctor’s missiles have suitably neutralized the—”
“No, General, I agree with Colonel Finlay’s plan.” Of all the people Matt had expected to side with her commander, Matt had not expected it to be Doctor Cardew.
“Doctor, do you have some concern you haven’t shared?” The confident expression the general had worn a moment before suddenly vanished from his face.
“I have every confidence in my work, but it would be foolish not to consider contingency plans. The Anathemic Rain has only received limited testing on live subjects. If the compound should fail, or the concentration of the gas in the atmosphere is too weak, it is possible that the Beltine’s present pacification may only be temporary. I would advise caution and proceed with the evacuation of as many from the planet as possible in that time.”
The general took a deep breath and then nodded. “Very well, Doctor, I leave the matter in your hands.”
“Thank you, General. Colonel Finlay, if you have no objections, I would like to accompany you to the communications towers and see if I might help your engineer in re-establishing communications off-world.”
Xander glanced at the woman, and his Adam's apple moved as though he were swallowing some foul tasting medicine.
“I could use the help,” Drew added in a timid voice. “An entire communications array is a big job for one person to pull off.”
Xander gave a silent nod, seemingly unable to actually agree verbally to giving Dr Cardew a place on his team.
“Well, then, let us be underway.” The doctor displayed her usual haughty air as she moved off in the direction of the lift that led to the hangar bay.
“I don’t like the idea of—”
“Trust me, Trey, you’re already preaching to the choir,” Xander assured him, not needing the Lentarin to complete his warning.
***
The hangar below the reception center was filled with an array of non-military vehicles, the kind Tyra would hate to fly. They were ugly shuttles made for passenger comfort and ease rather than speed or maneuverability. As the team selected for the mission climbed aboard, Matt moved to her friend’s side.
“Mind if I ride shotgun with you up front? I don’t really want to be caught in the back with the doctor. One more smug remark or arched smile from her and I know I’ll end up smacking a fist into her face.”
Tyra snorted. “Can’t say I’d blame you. Heck, I’d gladly back you up if you wanted to pick a fight with her. You can ride up front with me if you want. It’s not as if this piece of junk has weapon systems for Trey to manage.”
Matt let out a sigh of relief as Tyra opened the front hatch of the shuttle and they clambered inside. The cockpit was separate from the compartment the others would travel in, and Matt didn’t even have to look at the doctor’s face as they moved out to the communications array. However, as the hangar bay doors were manually opened by two trained officers, she realized she’d have to contend with quite a different sight.
As the shuttle took off and flew out across the planet’s main continent, Matt found herself looking out over an eerily silent battlefield. Looming over the western horizon was a massive hive ship, floating about a mile above the surface of the planet. The ground below was teeming with the beetle-like race that was mankind’s great enemy, but they weren’t attacking. Across barren outcrops of rock, outside the entrances of facilities and on the roadways, hordes of Dairos and Kyraos warriors stood inert. Matt felt as though she were looking at some photographs of a battle. The enemy was standing like statues, unresponsive and still. Soldiers moved about them. From time to time, Matt saw a laser rifle discharge and bring down a Dairos, the alien creature falling to the floor without even trying to defend itself. Such a sight should have left her feeling reassured about things, but it did not.
“I feel like they’re going to come alive at any moment, just like in a horror movie. You think the monster is dead and all is well, and then suddenly it gets up and stabs you in the back while your back is turned.”
“I know what you mean,” Tyra agreed. “I’m more concerned for the men and women down there breathing in that Anathema air. If we didn’t have these oxygen masks, I’d be freaking out right now.”
Matt nodded.
“How far is it to the communications array?” Xander’s voice broke in on the privacy the two women enjoyed in the cockpit.
“We’ve got about twenty minutes before we get there. Can’t make this thing go faster, I’m afraid, Colonel.”
***
Doing very little to assist, Matt watched Tyra’s piloting as she pushed their ride to its limits and reached the communications array in just a quarter of an hour. Exactly as it had been at the reception facility, the comm station was operating with only limited functionality. Doors, lights and other non-essential systems seemed to be working, but aside from this, the facility was dead.
“All right, soldiers, take point and disembark. I’m not taking any chances with these Dairos.” Xander got to his feet and readied his rifle. “Tyra, Matt, and Drew, wait until we know the coast is clear and secure the shuttle.”
“I wish I had my gear on me.” Matt groaned to herself. Without her Adamanta, she was almost a non-combatant in the fight. She had been given a laser pistol for her protection, but she was no crack shot and wouldn’t be half as effective as she might have been. Even her clothing was hardly ideal for the s
ituation. She had ditched the elegant dress she had been wearing for the reception party and had been given some fatigues worn by the station staff in their off-duty hours. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so vulnerable.
“Would you be willing to assist me in helping re-establish communications?” Doctor Cardew asked the question as she drew up to Matt’s side.
“Drew is in charge. If he needs me to do something, I’ll do it.”
“Letting me know that you do not wish to take orders from me?” The doctor shook her head and chuckled. “Will I need to have your engineer sanction all requests I make of you during this operation? If that is the case, I fear this will take a while longer than I had anticipated.”
“I’ll help the best I can,” Matt said, ignoring the jibe.
The communications array had been struck hard by the Beltine. It must have been one of the first facilities the hive had hit. As Xander led the team through the facility, they found the operations rooms and corridors had a litter of mangled corpses on both sides. Engineers lay slumped on the floor, eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling while Dairos and the occasional Kyraos were slumped over control panels, their back carapaces riddled with holes that still smoked from laser burns. However, these corpses were not even the worst sight in the facility.
As they traveled towards the bridge, the team began to find live Dairos, and even the occasional Kyraos stood in dark corners, looming with ominous threat but never moving. On more than one occasion, Matt jumped when she noticed one stood behind her, or nearby. She had to fight an urge to use the clips in her pistol to end the foul creatures.
Her every instinct told her to kill them, to make sure they were dead and couldn’t get up again. She had to think about her ammo though. There was no point wasting her shots on inert and pacified Beltine.
Once again, she wished she had been allowed to bring her swords to the gala General Doggett had ordered them to attend. With her Adamanta, she could have ended every stunned alien they found in the facility without having to worry at all about wasting ammo packs.
“It’s interesting to see the effects the Anathemic agent is having on the Dairos.”
Matt turned to find the ever infuriating Dr Cardew staring at one of the frozen Beltine drones. The woman was no more than a few inches from the thing’s grotesque face, staring intently at the Adamanta incorporated into the creature’s eye sockets.
“I wouldn’t stand so close, Doctor,” Xander said.
“Let her do what she wants. If we’re lucky, the toxins her missiles dumped into the air will wear off in a moment, and the Dairos will rip her to shreds, saving me the trouble later.” Trey pushed past the colonel, checking the next corridor as Matt and Xander waited for their unlooked for and unwanted ally to return her focus to the mission.
“You can actually see the muscles in their eyes still twitching. It’s likely not the creature itself, but the Kyraos controlling it trying to establish a connection to its worker here.”
“That is very fascinating, Doctor,” Xander said, “But for now keep your focus on the communications array.”
“Yes, do forgive me.” The doctor wandered down the corridor at a leisurely pace, not seeming at all troubled by any of the bodies that littered the hall.
Matt waited for the doctor to pass, deciding it best to stay behind her in case the woman became distracted again. As she watched Cardew follow obediently after the others, Matt thought she saw something in the farthest corner of her vision. Her eyes snapped to the Dairos, still stood inert and unmoving. A shudder went through her. She'd been almost ready to swear she saw its arm move.
Chapter 5
“Well, the good news is that the monitoring equipment seems to be in working order. Ignore the bodies and blood, and this facility is in tiptop condition.”
The group had made it to the communication arrays bridge that overlooked the main server room. Matt was relieved to hear Drew’s optimistic appraisal of the situation, but it raised a whole slew of new questions that would need answering eventually.
As Drew and Doctor Cardew sat at two of the terminals and began interfacing with the system, Matt glanced at one of the soldiers Xander had requested for the mission. The man held point at the bridge door, but his stance was comfortable and relaxed. His gun was held loose in one hand, and he slouched against the door frame as he stared out into the corridor. What held Matt’s gaze, however, was the odd smile the man wore his face. It was a strange grin that did not suit the situation and set her on edge. When the soldier noticed her staring, he turned his face to look at her, his lips parting even further so that she could see his teeth as he beamed his unaccountable smile at her.
Taking a cautious step backwards, Matt moved to Xander’s side. She kept her eyes on the soldier at the door, and he, in turn, continued to stare at her. When she found Xander, she tugged his arm for attention rather than speaking. The colonel turned from the console and frowned as he saw Matt’s face. It took him only a moment to follow her line of sight and when he saw the strangely happy soldier staring back at them, his back straightened, and he drew his gun from its holster.
“Doctor Cardew, a moment, if you please.”
The doctor eased out of her seat and walked across to Xander’s side. “Trouble, Colonel?”
Xander did not speak but gave the slightest of nods in the direction of the soldier at the door. The doctor turned, running her hand through her short hair as she took in the man before her. Just as she had done with the Dairos, she showed no hesitation in approaching the soldier. Her utter confidence was galling to witness, and Matt didn’t know if she respected the woman’s ability to retain her analytical mind at such times or hated it.
“What is your name, soldier?” the doctor asked.
“I’m Peter.” The man shouldered his rifle and put out a hand. Doctor Cardew shook it and put on a friendly, though probably insincere smile.
“You know, Peter, I hear they have lovely deserts down in the cafeteria here. Why don’t you take five and get yourself some?”
“That sounds… nice.” Without another word, the man began to stroll down the corridor. As he went, he began to whistle a tune. The last sound that Matt heard was the sound of his gun clattering on the metal floor as he dropped it.
Doctor Cardew took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. “I suppose it was too much to hope that the Anathemic Rain would work perfectly on first deployment.”
“Care to tell me what is happening, Doctor?” Xander asked.
“I’m sure you can deduce things as well as I. The Anathema gas in the atmosphere is affecting our own troops above and beyond what the simulations predicted. The changes my team introduced to the compound were meant to inspire feelings of calm and serenity in human subjects. Such feelings were deemed beneficial in a crisis to help instill order. By the looks of things, the effects are more potent in a live environment than we had anticipated. I would guess that all soldiers not wearing suitable apparatus are now entering a state of calm and tranquility that will make them useless to us.”
“You’ve turned them into the same mindless zombies as the Beltine,” Matt said in a raised voice.
“Nowhere near as severe, but I concede that the effect is similar on some level. What remains to be seen is if the soldiers retain the presence of mind to follow orders. Our good fellow Peter was quite willing to go off in search of desert just now. I wager that the other soldiers will be similarly open to suggestion.”
“You were mad to think you could use Anathema as a weapon. The only thing crazier than your ideas is the military brass funding them and giving you the time of day.” Matt had to turn around then. She couldn’t face looking at the doctor for a second longer.
“I do not see why you are so angry. This flaw in the weapons design is regrettable, but I still conjecture that the Anathemic Rain missiles have served their purpose admirably. The Beltine are incapacitated, and the danger the hive ship poses to us is negated. Even if the major
ity of our forces on Icarus are now useless to us, we have still saved lives here this day.”
“I’m going to help Drew get the communications array working again,” Matt said, purely for Xander’s benefit. As she walked away from the doctor, it took considerable effort to force her hands to open from closed fists.
“I believe it might be a sensible course of action to send the remaining soldiers we have here with us down to the cafeteria with Peter. They will be quite safe there and can wait there in comfort until someone comes for them.”
As Matt sat next to Drew, her attention remained with the doctor and her conversation with Xander.
“Why not keep them with us? If they can be led it would not be hard to bring them back to the shuttle once we are done here.”
“We are dealing with unknowns here, Colonel. The changes my team made to the Anathema compound were meant to weed out hallucinatory symptoms in intelligent races. Any display that deviates from the model we created is a cause for concern. I would feel much safer leaving the officers here to their own devices and coming back for them later.”
“In case your grand weapon system throws any more surprises you weren’t counting on, you mean?”
Matt smiled a little to hear Xander talking down to the arrogant doctor. If anyone needed a good lesson in humiliation, it was her. Still, Matt doubted the lesson would be learned.
“Okay. Go back to helping Drew establish communications. As we now know your little weapon isn’t working as expected, I want to get communication back up with the other cruisers and wider military as soon as possible. I’ll order the other soldiers to wait in the mess hall.”
Matt tried to concentrate on helping Drew isolate the cause of the communications disruption as best she could. She was no tech expert, though, and needed hand-holding through every test and systems check she had to perform. What made the work all the harder was having to listen to the colonel talking to the other soldiers behind her. He spoke in a soft and dulcet tone, as though speaking to children. Each soldier seemed to buy the lies he gave them. One by one, they left their posts, and the bridge was left almost deserted.
